Global Programs

Global Programs

In mid-August, Penn State welcomed more than 1,200 new international students to the University. They join nearly 10,000 international students already studying at Penn State campuses around the commonwealth. One of the top destination schools for international students, the University has placed in the top 10 every year for the past decade, according to the Institute of International Education’s "Open Doors" report.

Three Penn State researchers — Rachel Brennan, in the College of Engineering, and Mike Jacobson and Brian Thiede, in the College of Agricultural Sciences — recently received $250,000 in University Strategic Plan seed funding to address global Water-Energy-Food challenges.

Travel grants available through Penn State Global Programs provide some of the resources to support faculty travel related to developing global awareness, global literacy and global competency among Penn State's undergraduate population and to promote global leadership in scholarship and international engagements for graduate students.

In 2018, Penn State and Monash University in Melbourne, Australia launched the Joint Collaboration Development Program, a jointly financed seed-fund program with the aim to collaborate on research projects. The first round of seed funding saw 23 projects funded. The two institutions have committed these seed funds for a second year, around the intersection of health and the environment.

Rising senior and Alumni Association intern Corinne Findlay details how her time spent studying in Europe enhanced her Penn State experience and boosted her confidence as she prepares for the fall semester.

A commercial recreation and tourism management option of Penn State’s bachelor of science in recreation, park and tourism management is being offered online by Penn State World Campus and the Penn State College of Health and Human Development. Applications are being accepted now for the 120-credit program.

Penn State and the University of Freiburg in Germany are embarking on a novel initiative to pilot an online classroom project. The universities are seeking proposals to create collaborative, integrated virtual classroom courses. Selected proposals will be eligible for funding in the amount of 10,000 euros at the University of Freiburg and $12,000 at Penn State.

Its central status in the Penn State community puts the University Libraries in a unique position to do many things. One of these is global outreach, which is where Mark Mattson, global partnerships and outreach librarian, comes in.

A new strategic partnership between Penn State and the University of Freiburg in Germany will propel the development of a new class of engineered living materials with potential applications in sustainable infrastructure, robotics technologies, and next-generation medical care.

Penn State and the University of Freiburg have signed an agreement for a large-scale joint venture to support research in living materials — embracing biological principles to develop infrastructure for a more sustainable society. The signing took place during Penn State President Eric J. Barron’s visit to Freiburg, July 22-25.

Penn State has recently reached an agreement with the University of Auckland in New Zealand to build towards a strategic partnership. Still in the beginning stages, the two universities are currently interested in developing and cultivating a community of faculty interested in collaborations. In addition, they are in the midst of creating a multi-year agreement which would provide resources – including financial resources – to foster these collaborations.

An MOU was signed earlier this year – a commitment to continuing what has been one of Penn State’s most productive partnerships. Formally, the partnership began in 2011 with the original signing of an MOU. Subsequently, several college-level agreements were signed in areas of education abroad, joint graduate education, and joint research centers and collaboration. The various activities undertaken by the two universities cross disciplines and colleges.

The Global Faculty Fellowship program’s mission is to provide fellows with a greater understanding of the University’s strategic goals for internationalization and the role the office of Global Programs plays as the coordinating unit for implementation. In turn, the fellows provide faculty and academic unit perspective on internationalization initiatives. Esther Obonyo, originally from Kenya, was the first Global Faculty Fellow, and she immediately saw the potential of working with African partners on impactful scientific issues.